The Long And Loyal Vigil.

March 1974: some peasants are digging a well on land near the tomb
of unified China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The site is about
thirty-seven kilometers from China's original capital, the ancient city
of Xian and about one thousand kilometers southeast of the modern
capital, Beijing. They discover something that will startle the world
of archeology: the soon-to-be famous terracotta army, still guarding
their emperor after more than two thousand years.

Later excavations revealed that the army was buried in three pits. At
the time of my visit to Xian most of No. 1 pit had been excavated and
the other two were being dug out. The whole area is now covered by an
enormous building and has become a popular destination for tourists
from all around the globe.

In 1980 the continuing excavations led to another stunning find: on the
west side of Qin Shi Huang's tomb the excavators unearthed two
full-scale bronze chariots and life-size bronze horses decorated with
gold and silver. Archeologists have speculated that these magnificent
relics are only part of a procession of chariots carrying images of
members of the emperor's family, concubines, members of the nobility
and officials of the emperor's court.

I was presented with the opportunity to see these remarkable finds at
first hand in the northern summer of 1988 when I visited Xian, an
ancient city, which served as the capital of China for twelve dynasties
over eleven hundred years. These dynasties have left many priceless
relics in and around Xian. The ones that made the greatest impression
on me were the Banpo neolithic village, the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum
with its guardian, the terracotta army, and the vanguard of the
procession of bronze horse-drawn chariots and their drivers.

One early morning I picked up a "cheapie" fare on a minibus tour from
Xian railway station and, after driving through some spectacularly
beautiful countryside, arrived at the Banpo neolithic village. A museum
had been built over the site a matriarchal clan community occupied over
six thousand years ago.

I was able to imagine how the people lived there, the manner of their
lifestyle all those centuries ago: each part of the village and its
function was clearly identifiable -the signs in English helped, of
course. There was also an exhibition of primitive art from that era,
and it was interesting to note the transition of style and technique
over the centuries, with early literal representations changing to more
impressionistic styles. Among other items, I was amazed to find
re-constructions of primitive dwellings, some complete with household
accessories. There was a lot more to see and reflect upon, but now we
had to move on to the exhibition of the emperor's terracotta
army.

The sight took my breath away! Before me, in battle formation, stood a
great army of one thousand soldiers and horses. As I walked around the
gallery looking down into the pit which had been their headquarters for
over two thousand years, I was intrigued to note that each soldier and
officer had his own personality: some looked grim, some looked happy
with expressions ranging from slight amusement to outright smiles; and
each face and figure was unique.

Now and again I saw soldiers kneeling on one knee with arms
outstretched. I eventually came to the conclusion that these were the
archers of the army. They had been dutifully kneeling at the ready for
thousands of years, but time and unknown circumstances had taken away
their bows and arrows. "What happened," I pondered, "to their bows and
arrows?" No answer came!

And now it was time to visit the two big Qin dynasty copper chariots
and horses and their drivers. I had to push my way through a large
crowd of tourists in order to get a glimpse of these fine examples of
early Chinese military art. What I saw was what archeologists have
speculated to be the vanguard of a ceremonial procession containing the
oldest bronze chariots and horses ever found in China.

At this stage it is not known how many more figures will be found to
make up the ceremonial procession, which is a vault west of the
emperor's mausoleum. However, since my visit to the vault situated east
of the mausoleum other pits have been excavated there. The tally to
date is that of more than six thousand statues of warriors, servants
and horses standing in battle formation and interred fifteen to twenty
feet underground. The roofed in area that I visited now extends seven
hundred feet east to west and two hundred feet north to south. Experts
expect that the bronze items in the west vault will at least equal the
numbers in the east vault which houses the terracotta army.

Now it was time to visit the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. I had
been excitedly looking forward to this visit. He must have been quite a
character. As ruler of the Qin dynasty he conquered the rival states in
China over a period of several decades and thus made a significant mark
in history by being the first to bring about unification of China. He
took the title "Shi Huang-ti" or "emperor" to describe his new
status.

Under his rule some important decisions were made: he standardised the
currency and the system of weights and measures. He also brought about
the unification of a series of defensive barriers, which gradually
evolved into the Great Wall of China.

Still, there is a dark side to the story. Apparently he had the habit
of burying alive anyone who disagreed with his policies. Another policy
designed to eliminate dissent resulted in book-burnings. However, all
things eventually come to an end, even dynasties. It seems that Qin Shi
Huang (according to historians) thought that his dynasty would last for
many centuries. In fact, his rule lasted for less than a decade and the
Qin dynasty came to an end only four years after his death in
210B.C.

These historical facts circulated in my mind as we approached his
mausoleum. Accordingly, I had been expecting that I would descend into
a fabulous vault arrayed with all the trappings of a powerful ruler.
This expectation was reinforced by some other historical facts
concerning his preparations for the after-life: historical records
indicate that Qin Shi Huang envisaged a tomb of incredible size and
magnificence. He commenced work on its construction when he became king
of the warring state of Qin at the age of thirteen (this was twelve
years before he unified China and declared himself emperor).

When I arrive at the site (which has not yet been excavated) I am
surprised to see a steep hill covered by a flight of many steps leading
to the top of a mound beneath which (a guide informs me) is the
emperor's burial chamber. Running the gauntlet of a lively souvenir
market, I climb the steps and eventually arrive at the top of a mound,
about fifteen stories high, called Mount Li. The green hill on which I
find myself stands unimposingly to the middle of a millet field
belonging to a commune in a county known as Lin Tung. Yet, despite the
unexpected simplicity of this ancient monument of earth, I feel a sense
of awe at being in the presence of the spirit of the man who unified
China all those centuries ago and whose spirit remains intact, thanks
to the long and loyal vigil of his terracotta guardians.

(c)Patrick Talty 2003